I Want to Believe
by Metal Chocobo
Summary: Moving from Florida to New Mexico was hard for Zelda, but now that she's here she just wants to fit in and make some friends. The only problem is that Clock Town is an alien obsessed tourist trap and one of her new friends thinks her cattle are going to be abducted by Them. While she doesn't believe in aliens her new circumstances may change that. Slight Zelink.


**I Want to Believe**

Zelda stared glumly at herself in the rearview mirror. She had just enough time to sulk for another minute before she needed to go inside and find the main office. As it was the first day of the new school year they'd probably be quite busy, but her registration only went through last week and the administrators told her to come there to make certain all of her paperwork was in order. After all, it was one thing to have the wrong class scheduled and quite another to not actually be enrolled.

With a sigh she slipped out of her car into the dry hot New Mexico air. The only good thing about being uprooted weeks before her senior year after her father had promised she could finish high school at her old school was that she now had a car. It was the one they had used to drive here from Florida and she only got it because they lived too far away for her to bus to school, but a car was a car. In her opinion the trade wasn't worth it. She missed her friends, her home, and the ocean. New Mexico might have sand, but it was nothing like Florida.

Luckily her paperwork was in order and her old school already sent over a copy of her transcript and test scores. The main office quickly had her on her way, schedule in hand, but she was still late to her first class. Not very late, the bell rang just before she entered the classroom, but late nonetheless. If this were a movie her new teacher would have insisted on detention immediately, but instead she just smiled at Zelda and told her to be on time tomorrow or it would count against her.

Ms. Spirit didn't bother with any icebreakers, instead launching straight into business. She handed out a syllabus, outlined her expectations for the class, and then started the lesson. Zelda didn't know a lot about American government, but she at least understood the basics of her country's political structure. The lecture wasn't anything new for her, but Zelda had a feeling the rest wouldn't be this easy. Ms. Spirit seemed competent.

Spanish and English both went by in a blur of hasty notes. It seemed none of the teachers were interested in wasting time, which was just fine with her. Zelda hadn't been popular at her old school, but she had a healthy circle of friends. Now she'd be lucky if she could make any new ones, since her classmates were all more interested in catching up with each other than making new friends.

She got lost on the way to lunch. By the time she finally found the cafeteria they had run out of half the options, which was the price she paid for being late to the last lunch period of the day. Zelda got one of the prepackaged sandwiches because the only hot entrée left looked like something served at a kennel. Once she had her lunch she had difficulty finding a seat as everything was already filled or clearly reserved, if the looks she got were any indication. Clock Town was a small enough place the students had all known each other since elementary and their cliques were in place even on the first day of school. She finally found a small-unoccupied table at the opposite end of the cafeteria next to the trashcans. The smell wasn't that pleasant, but this spot was free.

She had just situated herself comfortable when a girl and boy arrived at her table. The girl sat down right next to Zelda on the bench. Literally right next to her; her thigh was pressed into Zelda's jeans hard enough for the denim to imprint on her leg. She leaned in close enough Zelda could see bits of tin foil woven into her hair. They were intertwined like she recently dyed her hair that fire truck red color and forgot to clean up afterward.

"You're in our spot," she breathed in Zelda's face. Zelda jerked her upper body back a little at the unexpected violation of her personal bubble.

"But it's okay," the guy said, sliding into a seat across from her. "Though you may want to move a foot to the right. Romi's particular about where she sits."

Zelda did as suggested and she suddenly had her personal space back. She sighed in relief. The guy grinned at her and he looked so friendly she smiled back. Sure, the girl seemed a little strange, but maybe she had just made her first friends. They were certainly the nicest people she had so far met.

"Hi," Zelda said, suddenly at a loss for words. This guy was absurdly good looking for a person with trashcan adjacent seating and hanging out with a girl blatantly sniffing her chicken patty.

"So I'm guessing you're new to Clock Town if you're willing to sit at the weirdo table," he said. "I promise while we're a little kooky, we're not contagious."

"That's good to know," Zelda said, glancing over at the girl again. She was now dunking bits of her patty into a pool of milk. Zelda decided she didn't want to examine the girl's—she thought he called her Romi—eating habits any more. "I just got to town last week."

"Cool, then we'll have to give you the nickel tour," he said brightly. He waved an arm toward the rest of the lunchroom. "Welcome to Clock Town High, home of the Clock Town Moon Men, which is kind of a sexist mascot. I'd like to change it to Martians, but the name originated in the fifties, so it's traditional now so."

"Are you a weirdo because you're a feminist?" Zelda asked, cringing when she realized how bad that sounded.

"Naw, I'm weird because I like hockey."

"Liking the Phoenix Coyotes isn't that strange," Zelda said, gesturing to the logo on his shirt. The boy's face lit up.

"It's Arizona Coyotes now, but you like hockey?" he asked excitedly.

"Sorry. I don't really keep up with the Western Conference. I'm a Cats fan," Zelda explained. "Dad's job had us at Cape Canaveral for the last decade, so I grew up a Panthers fan. They were more fun than Tampa."

"Cape Canaveral?" the girl said, suddenly focusing her unnerving stare on Zelda again. "What does your father do?"

"He's a bureaucrat for NASA," Zelda said uneasily. She didn't like the gleam in the redhead's eye.

"Has he ever seen an alien?" she asked. "Fought off their pincer grip?"

"No," she laughed. That was an absurd question.

"Romani's weird because she thinks aliens come and steal her ranch's cattle every year," he added. "I think it's rustlers."

"It's not every year, Link, but every four years," Romani insisted, "and I know it's Them because I've seen Them! They're scaly and purple with claws."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Link laughed. He turned and offered a hand to Zelda. "I'm Link Wolfe, by the way. This is Romani Lon. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Zelda said, accepting the hand. "Zelda Harkinean."

The rest of their lunch conversation flowed easily enough. They mostly stuck to hockey, Link filled her in on the local team, but Zelda also got the basic history of the town and surrounding area. While Clock Town dated back to the end of the Civil War when some colonel founded the village by commissioning the building of the central square's clock tower, the town's current mindset dated back to the space race. After Sputnik launched the citizens had been certain the Russians or aliens would wipe them of the face of the planet with a death ray. Eventually, thanks to the reputation of Roswell and others of that ilk, the town's obsession transformed them into a tourist trap full of alien kitsch.

"But they were wrong," Romani finished. "The Russians have never shown the slightest interest in us, we have the wrong teeth, and the aliens just want our cattle."

"Okay, in the incredibly unlikely event aliens are visiting Earth, why are they coming with the specific intent to steal your cattle?" Zelda demanded, frustrated Romani seemed so focused on this idea.

"Do you think I asked Them why They want our cows? The one time They beamed me up I fought tooth and claw to get away," Romani snapped. She pointed at her head. "I've had to cover my hair in tinfoil ever since to keep Them from reading my thoughts."

"If extraterrestrial beings were interested in your thoughts, bits of tinfoil in your hair wouldn't stop them in the slightest."

"I know. That's why I told Romi she should tell the school she's a Pastafarian and then she could wear a metal strainer on her head," Link said.

"But that would be dishonest, Link," Romani protested. "I don't believe a giant flying spaghetti monster created the universe. The only aliens I've met were Them."

"Do you also believe in aliens, Link?" Zelda asked. She wanted to know if both her new friends were crazy or if Link was just mean spirited and putting Romani on.

"Of course I do. There's no way we're the only life in the universe. We are not alone. However, I don't believe for a second it's flying over here to study us in secret and steal our cows," Link explained. "I want to believe, and Romani knows that, but I don't."

Before they parted ways at the end of lunch Link took a quick look at Zelda's schedule. If his flute lesson hadn't been in the opposite direction Link would have walked her to her calculus course. Instead he just told her the fastest route to get there. It was the first class she wasn't late to all day. As soon as calculus was over she had to traverse to the opposite side of the building for her dance class. She chose this course because it would fulfill her physical education requirement as a non-traditional gym course. Running laps wasn't really her thing, but after the contortions Master Kamaro put her through she was rethinking that notion.

Zelda's last class of the day was physics. She wasn't certain what to expect as physics always sounded like an otherworldly topic full of math. That could be fun, especially if the teacher focused on more tangible aspects. When she came into the classroom Zelda took a seat up front like she preferred. To her surprise and delight Link sat down next to her.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting you here," Zelda greeted him. "Is Romani also in this class?"

"Naw, Romi's got a two period farm management class that usually stretches into an extracurricular. We'd have taken this together earlier, but the only place it fit into her schedule was during orchestra, so things are the way they are."

"I see," Zelda said. She felt silly to be pleased to hear this. Romani was definitely weird, but she seemed nice enough. Zelda just figured she'd have an easier time getting to know him if his best friend wasn't there.

As the classroom filled a pretty girl and a pale hairy guy joined their table. Unsurprisingly Link knew both of them. While Link greeted the boy by name he used a pet name on the girl. For some reason this startled Zelda, mostly because she hadn't been expecting it, and it seemed to embarrass the girl. At least that's what Zelda assumed. Her skin was too dark for Zelda to notice a blush, but she rapidly punched Link in the arm and told him to knock it off. Link and the other fellow just grinned.

"Princess?" Zelda asked, trying to get clarification.

"My father calls me that and I had the misfortune of this troublemaker overhearing it," she explained, pointing at the hairy guy.

"But it's so pretty," he protested. "And you are a princess, at least to me." That made her smile at him.

"I'm Dekuna King," she introduced herself, "and this is my boyfriend George Yellow." Zelda rapidly introduced herself and they made small talk until class started. Most of that, as far as Zelda could tell, surrounded the events of last weekend when George accidentally trapped himself in a cage. It took hours for his brother, Abel, and Link to get him out again. Zelda had a hard time believing George had accidentally trapped himself in a cage and Dekuna obviously had the same issue because she kept asking what possessed him to crawl into a live trap. George just shrugged and said it was baited with bananas.

Zelda looked to Link to see if George was really being serious. He grinned and nodded, promising that everything was true. George constantly got himself into jams and needed rescuing. These days Dekuna saved him the most. He was their dude in distress. That description made Zelda laugh.

Their physics teacher was an old man with bulging eyes and a bobbling head. After the bell rang a boy in a blue bandana leaned over and poked him awake. Then he started lecturing without even bothering to introduce himself. Zelda got a great introduction to acceleration, but wished she received a syllabus or at least learned how many tests there would be. Link explained as they were packing up that he had Shikashi for astronomy last year and their teacher was really scatterbrained. He even forgot to cover a section included on the midterm. He'd probably do introductions in a couple days.

Zelda really wanted to take Link up on his offer to show her Clock Town. Except for the school she didn't have a clue where anything was. However, the last of their things were supposed to arrive today and her father wouldn't be back from NASA's training facility until quite late. She'd have to sign for delivery and get the house in order. She was tired of cold greasy microwave dinners her father brought home despite the fact their microwave was still on the road somewhere. She couldn't wait to start cooking again.

The movers placed their things into each room with Zelda's direction. She would still have to arrange things, but at least all the heavy furniture was on the right floor. However, even with all of their things the house still looked empty. This place was almost twice the size of their old home and Zelda didn't know why her father bought it. Their new living room and dining room were both empty because their ratty old furniture fit better in the kitchen and game room. She couldn't believe they had a game room now. Maybe when she explained how they needed more furniture Zelda could convince him to turn the dining room into a library. She'd have to carefully plan that conversation.

It took a few days for her to have that talk with her father. When she finally got to it he wanted to catch up with her in general. Zelda was relieved she could honestly tell him she had made several friends. Besides Link and Romani there was also Dekuna, who doubled as her English partner. She quickly broached the subject of creating an in-house library for her to study with said friends because the town didn't even have a library. The idea of supervised—even if he was never really home—social interaction that had academic benefits won him over to the idea. Zelda was just thrilled to get her library.

She was so nervous telling her new friends this news on Friday. Zelda thought they'd like it, as it would be a place they could hang out while they worked, but she had only known these teens for a few days. They might think it was a stupid idea and not want to see her after school.

"You've got a library at your place?" Link asked when Zelda told him.

"Well, not yet," Zelda admitted. "But Dad says we can turn the dining room into one since we're not hosting any fancy dinner parties. Well, maybe a study room instead of a true library. We only have a few hundred books and while he'll willingly get a few more chairs and tables, I don't think he's willing to get enough books to stock several new bookcases."

"Several hundred books? That's several hundred more than I have at home," Link laughed.

"How many books do you have?" Zelda asked.

"Like fifteen. Plus whatever the school's sent home this year." He laughed as she visibly boggled at him. "I'm not certain if Uncle Alfon has any books. After caring for cows all day and repairing the farm he'd rather fall asleep in front of the TV than read."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Zelda said. She meant it. She'd hate to live a life without reading for pleasure.

"Don't be. I think reading's just as hard for him as it is for me. I'm dyslexic. If I hear the material I can understand it just fine, but when I try reading it the words get all scrambled."

Zelda didn't even know how to begin responding to that. She'd been reading since before she could remember. She always fell back on it when she was stuck alone in a room of adults as a child. It was her lifeline and she didn't know how to survive without it or how to relate to someone who had a hard time. Luckily Link seemed to understand her surprise.

"I do pretty well for myself. I'm just really lucky my dyslexia doesn't affect my ability to read music or numbers. Then I'd really have issues."

"Are you a good flutist?"

"Decent. I'll have to play for you some time."

They smiled at each other lingering together outside the high school. With an empty house waiting for her Zelda wasn't ready to part ways just yet. She considered asking him to play for her right now, but quickly dismissed it. Link's offer wasn't serious. Though he didn't seem interested in departing either.

"So you'd be willing to come over for study group sessions?" she asked.

"Sure! It'd be nice not having to spend an hour puzzling out the instructions before I can begin. I mean, as long as it doesn't interfere with my chores or my archery practice Uncle Alfon doesn't care what I do."

"Great."

There was another awkward pause. Zelda wished she knew how to make this not weird. She wanted to hang out, but didn't have a clue how to facilitate that without coming off as too clingy. She wished her friends Malon and Ruto were here. They were so much better at social situations than she could ever be.

"If you're free I could show you round town now?" Link offered, scratching the back of his head.

"I would love that," Zelda grinned.

There wasn't a lot of Clock Town to see. All that was in the southern part of town was the clock tower and Town Square. The Eastern district was probably the most important part of town as it held city hall, the inn, and the only restaurant in town, the Milk Bar. The west contained all the shops and grocery store. Finally in the north stood both of the town's schools, an elementary and a high school, separated by a park. The park appeared to be the only green part of Clock Town. Seeing that one spot of green made her miss the greenery of home and the sea even more.

By the time they finished exploring most of the kids had gone home. They sat down on a pair of swings on the elementary side of the park. It took less than an hour to walk through every building in town. She hadn't met everyone, Link said most of Clock Town's residents stayed on their farms, but she met an awful lot of them. Link seemed to know everything about his hometown and gave her a brief history of everything. Zelda was relieved the tour finally seemed to be over.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Just trying to process everything right now," Zelda said. "It's a lot to take in and I'm all out of practice learning everything about a new place."

"Hopefully you won't have to learn any more places for a little while."

"I'm going to college next year, Link, that's the definition of learning new things."

"I guess you're right about that," he laughed. "I dunno, college doesn't really seem real to me. I mean, I wouldn't be able to go without a scholarship, since we can't afford to send me."

"There are a lot of options out there, I'm certain there's something right for you." Link shrugged, but he looked pretty doubtful to Zelda. She wanted to reassure him. She reached out and touched his arm. "Hey, I admit I don't know you very well yet, but you seem like a smart guy. If you want to go to college I'm sure you'll find a way."

"Yeah, with crippling student debts."

"There are a lot of good affordable schools. You don't have to aim for Harvard."

Link burst out laughing. She was pretty certain he found the suggestion ridiculous, but the sour mood that had settled over them shattered. Zelda quickly joined him. A couple of crows were startled away at her addition and that just made Zelda laugh harder. Eventually though they subsided into quiet giggling.

"Oh, I had always assumed a state university was my top tier choice," Link sighed. He wiped a bit of moisture from his eye.

"What would you want to do if you didn't have any limitations?"

"No limitations? I'd want to be a vet. I love taking care of animals. Problem is I can't crack a textbook without my head swimming. There's so much reading involved in attaining a VMD."

"You can work around that. A lot of the online textbooks can read out loud to you and something like a vet tech requires more hands on training than book learning. Being a vet tech would at least let you work in the field."

"That's a really good idea. Even if I don't finish, having any additional animal care knowledge would be a real boon. Hmm." Link stared thoughtfully at the clock tower for a while then asked Zelda what she wanted to do.

"No idea, but I assume I'll figure it out in college," Zelda shrugged. "I know I ought to pursue a degree in something I'm passionate about, even though it's unlikely I'll ever work in that field. So, I'll just have to see what happens."

"That's a shockingly mature viewpoint."

"Not really. Essentially I'm just procrastinating."

"Well, it sounds cool," Link said, getting up from his swing. "Can't argue with that."

"I guess not," Zelda agreed.

"Come on," Link said, offering her a hand. "Romi's gotta be done with her class by now. Let's pick her up so we can do something fun." With an offer like that all Zelda could do was accept.

Over the next few weeks they fell into a routine. Zelda usually got to school just in time to catch the last of Link's archery practice. Then she'd sit through a whirlwind of classes hastily taking notes. American Government was definitely her hardest class as expected and Ms. Spirit was sharp as a whip. Zelda sometimes wished she had the class later in the day, but watching Link shoot usually woke her up enough to focus.

Spanish had become endless book assignments, but English was more fun than expected. That was thanks to Dekuna. It was really fun having a friend for an English partner because it made the work more enjoyable. They didn't hang out outside of school unless they had an assignment, but Zelda appreciated her.

Lunch was always with Link and Romani. After that first week Romani found out the emergency exit to the cafeteria never fully shut, so they started having lunch outside. Zelda didn't know if Romani had picked the lock, but she was happy to be away from the trashcans.

Calculus wasn't easy, but she was helped along by the fact everything in the course was also covered in physics. There was always one class in which she had already covered the material and one to cement it in practice. Dance was also deceptively difficult. However, diligent practice seemed to be paying off as Zelda was starting to accomplish some of the steps Master Kamaro assigned. She'd never be as good as the Rosa Sisters, but Zelda didn't think she'd embarrass herself during her performances.

Physics was Zelda's favorite class. She liked to call it 'easy calculus' because Shikashi was usually the one behind and the level of physics they were studying didn't require as complex calculations as the rate-changes in calculus. She loved the course's weekly experiments. Making balls soar and rockets launch put her in the mind frame that they were trying to build a better mousetrap. When their experiment worked correctly it was immensely satisfying for Zelda because it was tangible proof they got the math right. When she explained this feeling to Link he understood. She appreciated that.

Link was the other reason Zelda liked physics. She had noticed he was attractive the first day they met and since then her opinion of him only improved. He certainly teased Romani and her, but it was never mean spirited, and he was always remorseful if he actually hurt someone's feelings. He was smart, though the dyslexia made him think he wasn't, and often worked out the answer in his head before the rest of the group could on paper. Link also made certain Zelda felt included, usually by inviting her to things or explaining past events so she was in the loop.

She realized she had a crush on Link within a week of meeting him. However, the idea it could be mutual didn't occur to her until much later. The three of them were at Zelda's house watching a science fiction show after finishing their homework. Something about the way the lead described bioluminescent moss sent Romani on a heated rant about lizard people's dietary habits and sweat glands in bigheaded aliens. Zelda didn't have a clue how those topics were connected. When she exchanged glances with Link she realized he had been a trapped audience for these sorts of rants for years. Now she was part of it too. That ought to have annoyed her, but leaning against Link's shoulder all Zelda felt was fond amusement for the redhead.

"Hey," Link whispered as Romani launched into an explanation of the hollow earth hypothesis. "Did anyone tell you about the Autumn Carnival?"

"Yeah, it's a fall harvest/Halloween celebration?" Zelda whispered back, not certain she was remembering it right. "Something about a pie contest too?"

"That's the one. It's also got a lot of carnival games and prizes, plus a dance, and a pumpkin carving contest. Probably not too exciting for someone from Florida, but if you hadn't noticed we're a little short on fun."

"I hadn't actually."

"Yeah?" Link's face morphed into a smile. He seemed genuinely delighted Zelda wasn't bored out of her mind. "Would you like to go with me?"

"The three of us? Like usual?"

"Um… no. Not unless that's what you'd prefer," Link said, looking down. He laughed nervously. "I was thinking it could be… just the two of us. If you were cool with it."

"I would love to go to the Autumn Carnival with you, Link."

"That's fantastic!" he laughed.

"No it's not!" Romani snapped, slapping the top of his head. Link yelped.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

"You think it's fantastic They are coming this weekend to steal my cows!"

"What? Of course not!" Link protested. "I don't want rustlers, aliens, or anyone else stealing your cattle."

"Then why would you say such a thing?"

"I was excited about something else," Link grumped. Zelda snickered so he poked her in the side. She slapped the hand away.

"What do you think?" Romani asked, turning to Zelda.

"I think we all want to keep your cattle safe and with your family's ranch," Zelda said diplomatically. Neither she nor Link wanted to actually suggest aliens were stealing cows, but she wanted her friend's family business to be protected.

"Great! Then you'll both help me keep Them from stealing our cows," Romani exclaimed, clapping her hands together and grinning wildly. "With both your help this will go much easier than last time when I was on my own."

"Excuse me?" Zelda asked. She did not remember agreeing to go alien hunting.

"This Friday I'm expecting a visit from Them," Romani explained grimly. "Once They arrive we need to fight Them off to keep the cows safe. After They arrive the onslaught won't stop until dawn; They vanish at the first rays of sunlight."

"That sounds more like ghosts or hobgoblins than aliens," Link said.

"They aren't fairies and this isn't a children's story! Radiation from the sun's light seems to damage Their exoskeletons! That's why we only see Them at night!"

"In that case couldn't we just put up some lights that mimic the sun and give off UVA and UVB radiation?" Zelda asked. Romani shook her head and frowned.

"I tried that last time to protect the back side of the barn," Romani began, "but it didn't do any good. We lost twelve head of cattle to Them. Two were left mutilated and the other ten disappeared completely. The lamps' radiation wasn't anywhere near as strong as the sun."

"And if the cause is human that isn't a strong enough deterrent," Link added. He obviously didn't think Romani's problems were extraterrestrial in nature.

"But an arrow will."

"I'm not shooting people even if they deserve it for stealing your cows."

"Aren't there Stand Your Ground laws here?" Zelda asked. There had been one in Florida and she thought most of the southwest had something similar.

"I don't know and even if we did I don't want to shoot anyone!" Link said, voice cracking a little at the idea. "Besides, I doubt bows and arrows would be covered."

"I've used a bow on Them before," Romani said. "They explode into a green goo. Definitely not human. I need your arm, Link, and another pair of eyes would be really useful, Zellie."

"Fine," Link said, throwing up his arms, "I'll come over for this snipe hunt. I want to believe in Them and other extraterrestrial life."

"I know you're coming. You've been waiting to see Them for years. Zelda, are you willing to come too?" Romani asked, peering at her.

"It'll be a blast," Link said flippantly. "We'll stay up all night, fight an alien menace until dawn, then go to school. How could anyone resist?"

"I actually thought we'd nap in the early evening. I've never seen Them show up before midnight. That seems to hold true in all my online research too."

"Even better, we'll be well rested for our alien battle." Link waggled his eyebrows. "How can you resist an offer like that, Zellie?"

"I can't," she laughed. "Alright, I'll ask my dad if I can stay over Thursday night, but he's probably going to say no. If that happens, I'll have to wait until next time."

"Great," Romani grinned. Link also smiled at her. Zelda returned the gesture, but she didn't feel as hopeful as they looked. There weren't going to be any aliens and her father was even less likely to let her have a sleepover on a school night.

Shockingly he said yes. She had been so sure he would say no she hadn't prepared for a yes in the slightest. Zelda could barely believe how quickly he agreed when she told him they needed to finish their American Government projects—which were actually due Monday and Zelda had nearly finished hers last weekend—and how late she'd be coming home. In fact _he_ suggested she stay at Romani's ranch first. He didn't want her driving home at such an hour, especially when he wouldn't be there waiting for her. It was rare, but occasionally his work for NASA kept him on site. When she was little Zelda had to stay with a friend. However, it had been a few years since she hadn't spent those nights alone. She never mentioned Link would be there overnight too, nor did he ask. That was the most obvious sign her father wasn't really focused on her at the moment.

Link and Romani were thrilled to hear she'd be joining them. Romani was so pleased she went as far as to hug Zelda and she never initiated physical contact. That day at school she had a nervous energy about her. She wasn't doing anything she didn't more or less have permission for, but the fact they were alien hunting tonight sent a tingle down her spine every time she thought about it.

It was absurd she was so charged by the thought. She didn't believe in aliens, not here at least, and it was foolish to be so wired over nothing. Still, her heart wouldn't stop racing no matter what she tried. It reminded Zelda of Malon's old ghost stories. She didn't believe in ghosts, none of them had, but she fell for the legends every time. Even after Malon admitted with a laugh that she had just made the whole story up on the fly Zelda often lay awake until dawn. Her overactive imagination was always so certain she could hear metal scraping against metal as if a knife was being unsheathed or the grind of bone on bone as an undead skeletal creature shambled forth. The stories attracted her as strongly as they terrorized her, which was probably the reason Zelda agreed to this new adventure in the first place.

That afternoon after Romani's farm management class ended Zelda followed Link's truck out to Lon Ranch. While both Romani and Link had pointed out the turn off to the redhead's home, this was Zelda's first time taking it. The trio always hung out at Zelda's place because she had the available space and food. Link parked his truck along one side of a small farmhouse and Zelda pulled up beside him. When she got out of her car Zelda took careful stock of her surroundings.

Most of the ranch appeared to be empty pasture, which made sense for cattle. The farmhouse was a small white two-story structure and just to the east stood a massive red barn. A few small trees stood next to the house. If it weren't for the peeling paint or the very obvious smell that this was an in use barn Zelda would think it was part of a movie set because it looked so much like an iconic barn. In the distance she could see a few other structures. Near a building with a giant rooster painted on the side stood a small herd of cattle; those probably belonged to Romani's family.

"That's about a third of our herd," Romani said when she noticed where Zelda was looking. "The rest are in the field behind the barn. This time of day my sister's mucking out stalls. Soon as we put our stuff in the house we can go help her."

"Okay…" Zelda said slowly. No one had said anything about handling cow poop.

"Romi means we'll be mucking them out. You don't have to, Zellie," Link explained. He laughed when Zelda's face filled with relief. Romani rolled her eyes. "Still, you'll want to come to the barn and meet Cremia. She's really nice."

"Even if she doesn't believe me about Them," Romani added darkly.

"If that's all it took to get written off your friends list you wouldn't have anyone on it, Romi," Link laughed. Romani smiled at that.

"It helps you guys are at least willing to listen to me," she replied. "Cremia doesn't even do that, but I understand. When you're running a farm on your own and raising a kid it's hard to pay attention to any single thing for long, much less investigate why some of your cows go missing every four years instead of just filling out the insurance claims."

"You guys are on your own?" Zelda asked in surprise as they entered the farmhouse. Romani never really talked about anything other than aliens, so she hadn't a clue about her home life.

"Yeah, technically that's the case, but Mamamu Yan's been breeding dogs on our property since before I was born and Grog showed up right before I started middle school. He runs an egg delivery business out of the chicken hut over there. He was a classmate of Cremia's and I think he's sweet on her."

"Do either of them believe you about Them?" Zelda asked curiously. Romani shook her head. "Oh. Sorry to hear that."

"It happens a lot," Romani shrugged. "Come on, sooner the chores are done the sooner we can prepare for tonight."

In the barn Zelda met Cremia. Her hair was the same shade of red as her sister's, but she decorated it with stray particles of hay instead of tinfoil. She appeared to be in her mid twenties, though the worry lines on her face almost made Zelda think she was a lot older. That sort of tiredness didn't go away with a couple of nights of good sleep. However, when she noticed Zelda follow Romani and Link into the barn she seemed to brighten.

"Romi, did you make a new friend?" Cremia asked, brightening.

"That's Zelda," Romani said, grabbing a pitchfork. Introductions were a touch hampered by the fact Romani thought she had said everything that needed to be said. So Cremia had to introduce herself to Zelda, which she did with a lot of laughter. Zelda liked her instantly.

She really had not wanted to do anything with manure, but Cremia was convincing. Before she knew it Zelda was on duty tossing clean hay down in place of the soiled, which the other three wheelbarrowed away. By the time they finished the sun was low in the sky.

"I can't believe it's already time to call the cows in," Cremia sighed. "Where did the day go?"

"Richard!" Romani called, whistled sharply. "Richard! Here boy!"

A small shaggy dog trotted up to Romani and sat down at her feet. His little tail rapidly thumped the ground as she bent over and scratched his head. Zelda was pretty sure the dog didn't reach her knee.

"Get the cows, Richard! Bring them home!" Romani ordered, clapping her hands. Richard barked twice then tore off into the field.

"Cremia and I are gonna head in and set up the milking gear," Link whispered in Zelda's ear, "but you should stay here and watch the show. It's really something to see Romi and Richard bring the cows home."

"Cremia and I are gonna head in and set up the milking gear," Link whispered in Zelda's ear, "but you should stay here and watch the show. It's really something to see Romi and Richard bring the cows home."

Zelda nodded, but she didn't really hear what Link was saying. She was too busy watching Richard bark the cows into submission. She was amazed by how utterly cowed the cows were by a tiny dog they could easily kick or stomp to death. With just his bark and dogged determination Richard sent the herd through the corral to Romani at the barn door. One cow did try to leave the herd, but Richard was on her in an instant. He nipped her knees until she rejoined the group and headed into the barn.

When the last cow came through Romani latched the gate. She leaned down and rubbed Richard's head a moment before straightening and beaming at Zelda.

"Richard's the best cow dog around. If he could work the gate he could take care of the cows himself," Romani boasted. "I've gotta help the others with the milking, but now's a good time to look around before the light fades."

"Do a little reconnaissance before we battle Them, huh?" Zelda laughed.

"Exactly," Romani agreed. She didn't sound like she was joking. "Richard, go with Zelda.

"That's going to work?" Zelda asked She was more than willing to believe it after the dog's last performance.

"Yeah, that's how he knows to keep an eye on you," Romani explained. "Come to the house when you've done looking around or else we'll call you in when we finish. Richard will see to your safety."

Zelda nodded, so Romani headed into the barn. She glanced at the dog, who didn't seem to be paying her any mind. Shrugging Zelda walked out to the pasture. She wanted to look around the house and barn before it got too dark to see. Maybe also check out the chicken coop and the dog breeder if there was time. Whether these were aliens or rustlers coming tonight knowing the terrain was essential. When she was ten feet away from the barn Zelda heard tapping toenails and the dog was trotting alongside her.

"Guess you mind Romi better than it looked like," Zelda laughed. Richard huffed as if the suggestion was absurd.

It turned out there wasn't a lot to see on the ranch. It was mostly open flat fields with the occasional rail and post fence. From previous conversations Zelda knew there was another pasture to the northwest that the Lons also owned, but that was outside of her field of vision.

They wandered over to the cucco house. Zelda was vaguely curious to see what it was like outside, but she was more interested in what this Grog fellow was like. Romani suggested that he might have a crush on Cremia and Zelda wanted to see if that was true. If it wasn't she'd have to figure out if he was there for a different reason as someone who intimately knew the ranch would have the easiest time stealing from it. That was why Zelda also planned to visit Mamamu Yan.

Inside the cucco house she found an open roofed courtyard. While there were interspaced bushes and a little grass, most of the ground was dry dirt. To the right Zelda saw several small hatches that looked like entrances to a cucco coop. At the far end of the courtyard sat a gaunt man with a spiked Mohawk. Small yellow chicks were settled across his lap and adult cuccos surrounded him. From this distance Zelda wasn't sure, but it looked like he was singing to them. When she greeted him the man nearly dropped the chick in his hands and scrambled to his feet as quickly as he safely could, considering all the cuccos. Then he strode over to her.

"Hello," Zelda greeted him.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, "This is private property!"

"I understand that," Zelda said, surprised by his anger. From Romani's description she hadn't realized Grog would be so aggressive and combative. Richard wasn't growling, but his hackles were up. "However, Romani and Cremia both suggested I look around the farm while they finished with the farm."

"Cremia said that?" he asked, deflating. "Then that's alright then. I'm Grog."

"I figured. Romani said you ran an egg business when she pointed out this building."

"Yeah, for the moment I'm delivering eggs, but I'm in the process of training these chicks so that they'll grow up to be performing cuccos," Grog explained proudly. "I want them to have a better life than their mothers. Once we make it we'll see the world together."

"That's ambitious," Zelda said diplomatically. She wasn't certain how else to react to such a dream.

They made a little awkward small talk while Zelda tried to think of a way to politely extract herself from the situation. Anyone who thought cuccos could be made into trapeze and escape artists while blathering nonstop about his attempts to train them made for poor company. Zelda also wanted to check out Mamamu Yan before dinner. There wouldn't be time to evaluate her for rustling tendencies after dinner. Romani had already made it very clear they'd be going to bed promptly.

Just as Grog whipped out hula-hoops to show her the cuccos' acrobatic skill Zelda faintly heard Romani's voice. Richard came to attention and started herding her toward home. She shooed the dog away when he tried to nip her ankles. With no regret she bid farewell to the cucco trainer and headed back to the farmhouse.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Mostly Cremia talked, asking Zelda questions and telling her about the farm. Neither Romani nor Link said much. They seemed entirely focused on vacuuming up as much food as possible. Even if she hadn't carried a third of the conversation there was no way Zelda could have kept to that pace. They ate as if they expected someone would snatch the food away, which—if someone was rustling cattle—was kinda true. Zelda didn't think much of her answers, but Cremia seemed delighted by them. While she never explicitly said it, Zelda realized Cremia was delighted her sister had made a real human friend and worried about Romani's social circles. She silently promised to not worry the ranch owner unnecessarily.

"While we're always happy to host Romani's friends, and Link's a regular sight on our couch, why are you having a sleepover on a school night?" Cremia asked.

Zelda stared back at her dumbly. She didn't have a single answer that didn't sound stupid or dangerous. Despite the fact she cooked up an excuse for her father she hadn't actually had to use it and she had never been a very good liar anyway.

"We've got an astronomy project," Romani piped up. "It's really late and tonight's the only night to observe it. We thought seeing it here on the ranch where there's less light pollution made the most sense."

"I thought you two had astronomy last year," Cremia said thoughtfully.

"We did, but Shikashiis now our physics teacher," Link added. "He's included a lot of astronomy based physics problems and some of the coursework requires night sky watching."

All of this was technically true; it just didn't apply to tonight. Starting next month they were supposed to make nightly observations at the same time, which had to be one of Shikashi's astronomy assignments. Zelda was just pretty certain they were supposed to happen earlier in the evening than tonight's adventure.

"Alright then. I hope your assignment goes well," Cremia said, accepting the explanation. She stopped asking questions until the teenagers started preparing for bed immediately after dinner. "What are you doing? It's barely past seven."

"We've got to be awake and alert super late, Cremia," Romani said as she tossed sleeping bags on the living room floor. "If we want to be in fighting shape that means we need to sleep now."

"Depending on how long this takes us we may not have enough time to go back to bed before school," Zelda said. "Sleeping now is essential if we don't want to be brain dead tomorrow."

"I thought the girls would sleep upstairs."

"Normally yeah, but we want to make certain at least one of us wakes up at the alarm," Romani said. "Best way to do that is have us all by the alarm."

"Okay. Well, be safe and goodnight."

The teens chorused back goodnights before Cremia headed upstairs. Zelda noticed her friends didn't agree to the safety order. She hoped that was just an oversight and not a sign of their intentions. The herd wasn't worth either of them getting injured by rustlers, or aliens if it really came to that.

As soon as Zelda was ensconced in her sleeping bag Romani turned off the light. This meant she and Link had to get to their bags in the dark. This ought to have been an easy task as they both knew the room's layout, but Zelda was stepped on twice.

"Ow," she yelped.

"Sorry," Link whispered right before Zelda heard a loud thud.

"Are you okay, Link?"

"That was Romi going to bed," he replied. She heard floorboards creak, a zipper, and the swooshing noise of sleeping bag fabric rubbing against itself. "She's very immediate on these sorts of things."

"Sleep time starts now," Romani announced. Link chuckled at that. Zelda peered into the dark trying to make out his face.

"We're not going to hear from her again until the alarm goes off," he said. "I don't know how she does it, but Romani literally wills herself to sleep like that." He snapped his fingers on the last word to emphasize it.

"She'd be great at playing possum," Zelda said.

"She sure would," Link agreed. There was a short silence before he said, "I know you weren't happy leaving Florida, but I'm sure glad you ended up here."

"Yeah?"

She felt a hand slowly and tentatively brush against her own before jerking back. However, it crept back to rest against hers. She wiggled her fingers and turned her hand over, palm up. The other hand's fingers gently interlaced hers. It was much bigger and hairier than Zelda's hand, which is how she knew it belonged to Link. Both of her friends had tough leathery skin covered in calluses from their farm work.

"Definitely," Link assured, squeezing her hand.

Zelda didn't have a response, but she squeezed back. She'd much rather be home in Florida with her life and friends. New Mexico would never be home, but Zelda could enjoy all the good things she could find there. That included Link.

It seemed like only seconds ago Zelda shut her eyes. Now Link was rudely shaking her shoulder and hissing it was time to get up. She tried to shove him away, but he was relentless. She sat up and fixed the boy with her worst glare. He cringed under the withering look, but didn't apologize or turn off that blasted light. It might not be that strong, but it was blinding her.

"It's a little after one, Zellie," he said. "I let you sleep as long as I could, but Romi and I've been up for an hour getting everything ready for Them."

"Oh. Right. Them."

"Romi says it's time to get up and I'm inclined to believe her." Link smiled at her, but he looked visibly shaken." There have been a lot more lights in the sky than what's normal for rural Clock Town."

"Is it making you nervous?" Zelda asked, a rush of adrenaline shooting through her veins at Link's obvious fear. She crawled out of her sleeping bag and pulled her jeans on over her sleep shorts.

"A little. It's almost like there's someone shooting off fireworks, except it's the wrong time of year, they're all over, and there's no crackle or pop."

"Okay, I'm ready. Let's go," Zelda said, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.

"Good, he got you up," Romani greeted her. She had a maniacal grin across her face as she thrust a bow into Zelda's hands.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked. "I don't know how to use a bow."

"You've watched Link shoot enough you ought to be a pro by now," Romani said. Zelda went pink. Romani smiled more gently and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, if you really can't shoot don't worry about it. We can always use an extra pair of eyes and you can bring us supplies as needed."

"What's with all the lights?" Zelda asked, looking around. They had set up large spotlights in every direction pointing away from the barn. It wasn't anywhere near as bright as the sun, but she could see fairly well all the way to the dog track. "I thought you said we didn't have lights strong enough to hurt Them."

"Oh these are for us so we can see Them coming. Whenever They've come for cows in the past there's always been a glow issuing from Them, but I don't want Them wising up and turning it off somehow. Then we'd be fighting Them blind."

"This also means we'll be able to spot them and foil their scheme if it's actually a human threat," Link added. "Frankly, if it's the Gorman Brothers cattle rustling like I think, motion sensor lights on all sides of the barn would keep them from it."

"You'll sing a different tune when you finally see them," Romani said, nodding knowingly. "They're from the skies."

It was a very long boring wait. The three teens huddled together in front of the main barn doors for warmth. Nothing was moving and Zelda found herself staring out past the light's range into the beyond blackness. Zelda wished They would show up just so she'd have something to do. At this rate she just had a great risk of falling asleep on Link.

Zelda didn't know how long she had been spacing out for when she finally noticed a small yellow light in the distance. It was a few feet off the ground and ever so slightly bobbed up and down. To her mind it almost looked like a car with a broken headlight. When Zelda voiced this thought Romani sprung into action.

"Link, shoot just above that light," Romani ordered. "They give off a light that comes most strongly from their central columns. It'll be a hit dead center that way."

Link picked up his bow and notched an arrow, but didn't raise it. At his friend's obvious impatience he said, "Zellie's right. It looks a lot more like a car with a broken headlight than an alien right now. I'm not shooting until I'm certain I'm not about to accidently kill some poor innocent human."

"Fine," Romani huffed, "but as soon as it's in the light and you can see it for what it is, shoot it!"

No one could argue with that so they waited. The light got closer and closer then this _thing_ came into view. It was a scaly purple creature with a head and torso that just floated slowly toward the teens. Much of it glowed, most strongly from the torso—Romani called it the central column—though its eyes also glowed. It had a pair of clawed hands that reflected the barn lights, which almost appeared to make them glow too, on the ends of absurdly spindly arms that had to be as long as the entire creature. Zelda had never seen anything like it before. It had to be one of Them.

Link lifted his bow and drove an arrow home dead center as Romani predicted he would. There was a high-pitched shriek and the creature exploded into a puff of colored gas that rapidly evaporated. A bit of green liquid hit the road, which bubbled and hissed for a minute. Zelda couldn't think of a single manmade alien spoof that could react like that. From the look on Link's face he couldn't either. They were facing a real alien presence.

Richard barked frantically. Zelda turned and saw three more of Them rapidly encroaching on the back of the barn. Link dashed forward shooting and each of Them exploded. One of the arrows did not burn up in the acid-like substance after it found its target and struck another Them just as it crossed the light threshold. This one deflated, hit the ground, and then exploded, taking out most of the grass underneath it as the internal juices burned away. Zelda did not want to imagine what it would be like if some of the green gunk landed on her skin.

Zelda looked around. More and more of Them had entered the ring of light. Both Link and Romani shot the monsters as fast as they could, but if the lights in the distance were of any indication, there were dozens more in reserve. Zelda heard Link curse. She looked to see his quiver was empty as the boy scrambled for more. Romani still had a lot beside her, so Zelda grabbed a handful and delivered them to Link. There wasn't even time for him to thank her as he was too busy shooting the onslaught.

"Zelda, go into the barn and fetch more arrows!" Romani shouted. "I've stockpiled them in the tack room and the hayloft!"

Zelda raced into the barn. She looked around wildly for any signs of arrows or perhaps the tack room. However, all she could see in the dimly lit barn were cows. Most were asleep, some chewed their cud, and a few looked at her, but she didn't see any sign of Romani's stockpiles. There wasn't any time to do a thorough check of the barn for the tack room, so Zelda decided to go for the hayloft. From her limited understanding of barns that was up in the roof somewhere. Luckily the ladder leading up was nearby and she quickly scaled it.

In the hayloft she could dimly make out massive bales of hay stocked everywhere. She pulled out her phone and turned on the flashlight function before scanning the room for anything remotely arrow shaped. Of course, actually finding something like that would have been too easy and she switched to looking for anything 'not hay' on her second sweep of the hayloft. Across the barn she dimly made out a metal box. Zelda ran across the floor—worrying the entire time she might step wrong and somehow fall through the floor, she had no idea how solid hayloft floors were supposed to be and really didn't want to find out the hard way—before flinging the box open. Inside she found it filled with bundles of arrows tied together with twine. There was some other stuff in the box about Them, but Zelda didn't pay that any attention.

Zelda grabbed a bundle of arrows in each hand. As she rose she heard a scream from outside. There was no way to get down and out before whatever terrible thing befell her friend. The scream came from this side of the barn and without really thinking about it Zelda pushed the wall right near one of the larger cracks letting in light from the flood lamps. To her surprise the wall swung open giving her a prime view of the group. Link was out of ammunition and scrambling backwards away from one of Them. She hurled a bundle of arrows at him, and her aim was good enough that it actually landed pretty close, but there wasn't enough time for him to free an arrow before Their claws would be in him.

Without thinking about it Zelda pulled out one of the arrows from her second bundle and placed it against the bow she had accidently carried up with her. Drawing back she aimed and shot. Despite watching hours of archery Zelda had little hands on experience. Her shot not only went short, but she almost sent the bolt through Link's boot. She also managed to painfully snap the string against her wrist. Swearing loudly she rubbed her injury then grabbed another shaft. This time when she fired she found her mark and the alien exploded like the others. Zelda was thrilled with her accomplishment for half a second before remembering she had probably just sprayed Link with alien acid. Looking around frantically and wondering why he wasn't screaming in pain Zelda finally spotted him crouched behind half a large wooden crate. The other half of the crate was now gone thanks to the acid rapidly dissolving it. He looked up at her and gave a thumbs up. Apparently her first attempt had worked as a warning shot.

She would have stuck around longer, but Richard's barking suddenly became frantic. Zelda ran back across the barn fearing for Romani's safely. She hit the wall in roughly the same area hoping this side of the barn would open up in the same way. Her luck held and Zelda could quickly see out on that side as well, though in her haste to open it she almost fell. Instead the arrows fell after Zelda pulled out another one. Zelda readied her bow in case Romani needed rescuing too, but none of Them were quite as close to the redhead as they had been to Link. Her arrow supply also wasn't as low as his had been and she was able to seamlessly reload without stopping her defense.

After the first resupply she investigated the barn further looking for any more arrows. One box of arrows, even if it was a big one, was not going to get them through the night. From the number of lights in the distance there were hundreds of Them waiting to swarm the barn. The only good thing about Their assault was that They were slow enough moving targets her friends could pick Them off one by one. She uncovered three more metal boxes with similar supplies under the hay. Zelda spent hours running back and forth tossing arrow packets down to her friends. Later when she had to dip into the last box she took the time to venture downstairs past the cows and found the tack room. Inside that room she found another pair of ammunition boxes wedged between feedbags and an antique saddle. Romani hadn't been kidding about being prepared.

Zelda grabbed one of the boxes and dragged it back to the main barn doors. It was large and heavy, but this was the fastest way to get the contents where it needed to go. Romani looked up and waved when Zelda came outside. She still had quite a few arrows, but seemed pleased to receive more. Zelda quickly explained the current supply levels and asked if there was a quicker and safer way to get the other box to Link than dragging it all around the outside of the barn. Romani pointed into the barn and explained how to open the small back door. Zelda followed the directions with little trouble and safely made her second delivery.

She didn't stay there for very long, just enough to tell Link about their supplies before retreating to the hayloft. It wasn't much safer to be up here, but Zelda felt a little better about the whole situation with the barn walls and the cows between her and Them. Still, she told herself that this was also the best place tactically as the last of the arrows were still stashed up here. She could also help Romani or Link from this advantage with a little aerial coverage; though her aim was bad enough she'd probably be a waste of arrows.

Zelda scanned the horizon looking for daylight. The sky was now purple instead the pitch black it had been when the attack started. Still, purple was a long way from the sun's bright yellow rays and until their cavalry with its powerful ultraviolet light showed up to blast Them off the face of the earth they had to endure. Hopefully their supplies would last long enough. She didn't want to think about what would happen if they ran out and the barn was overrun by Them.

The purple faded to a pale blue around the time Zelda tossed the last batch of arrows down to Link. At least that meant the onslaught couldn't continue for much longer. As if sensing Their limited time remaining there was a sudden increase in Their attack. Zelda gripped the side of the barn tightly as she stared out at the scene below her.

"Come on," she hissed to the sky, "turn pink already!"

"I'm out of arrows!" Romani shouted.

"Romi's in trouble!" Zelda called to Link. He glanced up at her, but she was already gone.

She charged across the hayloft. Her fingers itched for more arrows to throw, but her supply was completely tapped. About the only thing she could do was watch. They also seemed to understand the situation because a lot more of them converged around the front area. Soon Romani was backed against the door angry and bristling. In that moment Zelda suddenly remembered Romani knew exactly what would happen to her if she was taken by Them. The fact she still refused to flee, instead protecting her cows gave Zelda a lot more respect for her friend. She was also absolutely terrified for Romani.

Just as one of Them wrapped its claws around Romani's arm the barn door creaked open. That diverted the alien's attention long enough for Link to roughly yank Romani into the barn. Link shot Them at point blank range and Them exploded splattering all over the barn. She heard a cry of pain then silence. Zelda was about to leave her view when Link stepped outside shooting Them one after another.

There was a clattering noise off to Zelda's left. She whirled around and grabbed the first weapon that came to hand. Romani came into view. She ignored Zelda's pitchfork as she crawled off the ladder and went straight for her supply boxes.

"They're empty," Zelda said, setting down the pitchfork.

"Of arrows, but I packed other things in here," Romani said. She pulled out a slingshot and a large pouch. "These won't kill Them, but the pellets will knock Them back a bit. Grab some gauze and that goo labeled for acid burns, would ya? My legs got a bit hit when Link shot the last one, but his arms got covered."

"What about the back?" Zelda asked, hurrying to follow orders. She didn't want Them getting through an unprotected rear.

"Shut it up here and that'll hopefully keep Them out," Romani said, hobbling over to the opening above the front. "I checked before coming up here. Link not only locked and bolted the back door when he came through he also dragged several full milk canisters in front of it. Only way we'll have Them in back is if They come through the walls and we can't do anything about that now."

Romani dropped onto a hay bale. She pulled out a handful of shot and began rapidly pelting the enemy. Zelda took one last look down at Them crowded around the back of the barn then shut the wall. She carried the first aid supplies over to Romani then sat down by her knee. After a moment's hesitation she cut the redhead's jeans open to the knee on both legs. That was as far up as the acid holes appeared in Romani's jeans.

"This looks bad," Zelda said, lightly touching one of the burn blisters. Romani hissed in pain.

"Just slather on as much salve as needed to cover the wounds and then bind them up," Romani ordered. "We'll do a proper causality report later."

She didn't like it, but Zelda did as she was told. Romani continued to hiss as she smeared goo on the blisters, but otherwise ignored Zelda's work. That actually made things easier for Zelda as she hated causing pain. Once both legs were coated she bound them with gauze as tightly as she dared.

As soon as she finished she turned her attention back to the fight. Link's quiver was nearly empty and there were still more of Them coming. Romani provided all the assistance she could knocking Them back a few feet with every hit, but it was only a meager buy for time. Zelda looked to the east. The blue had turned hot pink just along the earth's curvature. Sunlight would be here within minutes, possibly even seconds.

"I'm out!" Link shouted.

"Get inside!" Romani ordered.

"Can't," Link replied. "If I open it They'll get inside. I can't shut the door in time on my own and it'd be silly to let Them in now."

The solution was obvious to Zelda the moment the words were out of his mouth. She dropped the supplies, clattered down the ladder, and slammed into the barn door. With a grunt she pushed the door open just a crack.

"Link, get over here!" she called.

When he saw the open door Link's jaw dropped, but he quickly jogged over. Romani kept Them back with a rapidly depleting supply of ammunition. As soon as he was through Zelda started pulling the door shut. Link grabbed on too, but his injuries and hours of archery left his arms near useless. Zelda had to pull it shut on her own.

One of Them seemed to realize what was going on and increased its pace. The alien dodged Romani's fire and sunk its claws into the door just as Zelda finally built up enough momentum to swing the barn door shut. There was a crunch then the alien's claws wiggled rapidly from a position trapped between the doors. Zelda thought Them would pry the door open out of her grip, but Link slid a 2x4 through the inner handles of the door barring access.

Zelda wanted to fling her arms around him, however, before she could Link had already made his way over to the ladder. That was smart thinking. She wanted to put as much distance between them and Them as soon as possible. Plus it was clear Link's arms were in need of attention, which could be best gotten up in the hayloft. His forearms were covered in the same small angry blisters that spotted Romani's legs.

Unfortunately those injuries made it difficult to climb. His arms hurt enough he could barely move them, much less hang onto a ladder. Zelda quickly hurried to his aid; boosting her friend best she could to get him up as high as possible. Romani came over, grabbed his hands, and pulled to help. Together the girls were able to haul Link into the hayloft.

The three teens raced back to the opening to watch. The aliens had congregated around the trapped one and They all clawed at the door. Zelda heard wood cracking as the door slowly split. Despite their efforts and injuries They were going to get in and abduct the cows.

Just as one of the boards cracked and fell allowing Them entrance all the aliens burst into flames. Zelda looked around confused. There didn't appear to be any more light than there had been a second ago. Romani cheered and threw her arms around both Link and Zelda. As the redhead shook her Zelda finally glimpsed the sun peeking over the horizon as if it wished them good morning. She hadn't noticed the sun's arrival thanks to the powerful floodlights, which were still ablaze, but for now the artificial light concealed the sun's rays to the naked eye.

The three watched from the hayloft until all of Them not only exploded, but Their green inner fluids neutralized. Romani whooped and slid down the ladder, presumably to take stock of the cows and damages. Link and Zelda sat on their bale of hay in stunned silence. While she'd have to do something about his wounds soon they both needed to process what had happened first.

"I can't believe Romi was right about Them," Link breathed, finally breaking the silence.

"I can't believe we fought Them off," Zelda replied.

"Aliens are real!" Link whooped.

The teens looked at each other and started laughing hysterically. Everything about the situation was absurd and amazing. She couldn't believe they had just fended off an alien abduction of a herd of cattle with three bows and a slingshot. In less than a five-hour period they had killed dozens, if not hundreds, of Them and the green acid goo all over the yard and a busted door were all the proof they had. She couldn't believe they only sustained minor injuries after fighting off an army's worth of aliens.

"What the heck do they want with Romi's cows?" Zelda asked, ready to break out in another bout of laughter.

"I don't know. What do aliens ever want with cows?" Link chuckled back. "Triforce preserve us, those were aliens. We saw real live aliens!"

"We kicked alien butt!" Zelda laughed. They high fived, but their hands weren't quite lined up properly and after initial contact Zelda's hands slipped past Link's and brushed his arm. He howled. "Your arm, I'm sorry! Let's get that bandaged up."

Link held his arms still as Zelda coated then bandaged them both. Based on the looks of his arms and Romani's description of what happened she wondered why his hands weren't badly injured too. It bothered her enough she asked him about it.

"I was wearing thick work gloves. Had a pair in my pocket and put 'em on after I realized what was in Them. When I got splattered my gloves were thick enough I could pull them off before the acid ate through," Link explained. He laughed ruefully. "Luckily my first instinct after that shot was to drop my bow and cover my face."

Zelda frowned and examined her friend. While his face was fine, in the morning light she could see Link's shirt was now well aerated. There'd be nasty blisters underneath. She was suddenly very worried about both of her friends' health. Alien acid could not possibly be good for them and Link had taken a lot. They needed more help than basic first aid.

"The cows are all accounted for and damages are at an acceptable level. I'm declaring tonight a success," Romani announced. "Now who's ready for school?"

"None of us," Zelda said, getting out her phone. "We need help. You guys need medical help. I'm calling my dad."

It was a unique experience having NASA and the army descended on the farm. In a secret joint taskforce they quarantined the farm and everyone on it. This wasn't how Zelda wanted to spend her week, but at least her friends were better company than the cows. Link and Romani's injuries were mostly healed by the end of quarantine. Most of the surrounding topsoil and the outside of the barn were also confiscated. Zelda's father promised those would be replaced at no cost to the Lons. Either the military would pay for it or they'd ensure they had a claim that insurance would accept.

The most difficult part of the aftermath was convincing the powers that be that they were able to best Them with such rudimentary weaponry. A colonel flat out refused to believe their story and demanded Zelda tell them where their rocket launcher and assault rifles were hidden. Apparently the military had a harder time dealing with alien attacks. In the end Romani had a long private conversation with a dozen big wigs to satisfy them. Zelda didn't know what transpired, but Romani ended up with a job offer from Homeland Security waiting for her as soon as she graduated high school.

As life altering as the night defending the ranch had been, it wasn't long before things more or less went back to normal. Sure, she spent a lot more time at NASA's testing facility with her father and had to nope out of any discussion concerning intelligent life, but otherwise Zelda was still the same person. The best result of the experience was that her dad bought tickets to take Zelda, Link, and Romani to the Coyotes-Panthers game as an apology for the harsh treatment by the military. She suspected it was also for not telling her about aliens.

At the moment though none of that was on her mind. Tonight was the night of the Autumn Carnival and Link had just pulled up to her house in his truck. She ran down the stairs as the doorbell sounded, nearly bowling her father over to get the door first.

"Hi," Zelda greeted him, wrenching open the door.

"Hi," Link returned. "Ready to do?"

"Yeah." She followed him down the sidewalk. Her father shouted from the door that she needed to be home by midnight. They both waved to show they heard.

"Sure you're ready for your first Clock Town Autumn Carnival?" Link asked as soon as they were both in his car. "Gotta warn you, these can get pretty hairy."

"Can't be any worse than the last time we hung out at night," Zelda quipped, making him snicker.

She grinned, pleased that she had this sort of effect on him. Then because the moment felt right Zelda caught Link by the back of the neck and pulled him in for a kiss. It was a short fairly chaste kiss, totally unremarkable other than the fact it was their first. When she pulled back Link had a small happy smile, which she soon found herself mirroring. Without another word Link put the truck in drive and they set out for Clock Town holding hands, excited for whatever adventure a night at the town festival might bring.

* * *

If you had any thoughts on the story I'd love to hear them in a review. Thanks for reading


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